


One Million Envelopes

by VaultOfMelkurMistress



Series: Vault Stories [3]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Cuddling, F/M, It's more of a mass death threat, Missy has a plan, The Vault (Doctor Who), but good intentions, nardole gets scared, twissy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:35:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26779714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VaultOfMelkurMistress/pseuds/VaultOfMelkurMistress
Summary: Missy is demanding excessive stationary supplies. Nardole is suspicious as usual. The Doctor discovers she is attempting to write apology letter's to everyone she has killed. Which...might be taken as death threats. The Doctor takes care of her and there's cuddling.Thanks to ineternity for the prompt!“Sending someone a letter apologising for the fact that you will shortly be murdering them might be taken as rather threatening Missy.”“Really?” she asked, stunned. “But I thought it was quite heartwarming and a little bit helpful?”
Relationships: Twelfth Doctor/Missy
Series: Vault Stories [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1944550
Comments: 16
Kudos: 37
Collections: Twissy Stories





	One Million Envelopes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ineternity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ineternity/gifts).



> Please drop any prompts in the comments! I'm writing a lot at the moment, and this series especially is saving my sanity!

“Doctor, she’s asked for 1 million envelopes,” Nardole said, his arms folded as he cast the Doctor a stern look. 

The Doctor sat back in his chair, his feet up on his desk and a book in his lap. He had no idea why Nardole was casting him such an accusing look, he was hardly party to whatever Missy was….inspired to do. 

“Envelopes alone are not suspicious, but perhaps we send a regular supply - trickle them in slowly. A million is a fire hazard.”

“She’s probably planning on some kind of combustible device and needs to start a fire to power it,” Nardole said, still giving the Doctor an accusing look, as if he was involved an incendiary plot. 

“No Nardole,” he said with a sigh. “She’s not going to set the vault on fire, she simply wants to write letters. Let me see the list.”

“Who to?” Nardole said. “She’s probably trying to organise a cult or a rebellion or uprising through the postal system!”

The Doctor shook his head and looked through the list.

“Wax seal, ink, oil lamp, brass wax holder, quite specific about the paper thickness…..this is a calligraphy list, it’s all fine Nardole, stop worrying.”

“Sir! Would you please keep reading!”

The Doctor sighed and did his best not roll his eyes as he looked back at the list.

“Rose petals, dried flowers, that sounds lovely! Ah..glitter...I see the problem. That could be a nightmare to clean up,” he said. 

“I meant the last line, the part that says ‘my device’ THAT is worrying,” he said, still with the accusing look. 

“Ah, well, yes to everything else, but not the lethal vaporisation device,” the Doctor said, picking his book back up. 

“Now she gets glitter,” Nardole grumbled loudly as he turned to leave and prepare to order excessive quantities of stationery supplies. 

The next day Nardole returned, another list in his hand and yet another accusing look. He held the list out silently and waited for the Doctor to take it. 

The Doctor sighed, audibly, and took the piece of paper, glancing at it. 

“Glass pens, wooden pens, better weighted paper, 1889 Oxford has a lovely shop. And my device.”

“She thinks we won't notice and will just give it to her!”

“Calm down Nardole, I’m not going to hand her the ability to vaporise anyone, order the rest, it sounds like she is putting a lot of care and time into letter writing, it’s good she has a new hobby.”

“WHO is she writing to?” Nardole said.

“I’ll look into it today Nardole, I will conduct a thorough investigation and leave no stone unturned, how does that sound?”

Nardole simply shook his head and walked off, calling out over his shoulder, “they’re probably hypnotic letters - mass mind control through the ink.”

The Doctor was intrigued, he had to admit, and waiting a day would at least mean she was into the swing of whatever was going on. He knew that she had a habit of fully immersing into her plans and ideas and forgetting all else until she had perfected her goals. He had gone to the vault door and spoken to her, and been met with a very distracted response telling him to come back tomorrow. He had hesitated, but agreed, telling her to please sleep that night and remember to eat, but the next day she had said the same thing, and the next.

By the fifth day, he told her that he was coming in even if she insisted on privacy because he was becoming concerned. She had let out a loud frustrated sound i response and shouted ‘FINE.’

As soon as entered, he saw her sitting on the floor, her hair loose and tangled and envelopes and paper in neat piles surrounding her at every turn. It was organised - even the glitter didn’t seem to have strayed far from the circle of stationary surrounding her. 

“Missy, I brought Thai tonight, lots of extras and there’s fortune cookies, you love those!”

“Bit busy dear,” she said distractedly as she carefully imprinted a wax seal onto the back of an envelope. 

Seeing his chance to break her focus, he stepped over the orderly piles and knelt down beside her, taking her hands as soon as she had placed the envelope onto a pile. Only then did she turn to look at him, her eyes tired and eyeliner smudged like black shadows under her eyes.

“Missy, when did you last sleep?” he asked, his voice calm and somewhat soft. 

“Few days ago, I’m busy,” she said.

“I know Missy, but you have to stop and take care of yourself, have you eaten recently?”

“Probably,” she shrugged as she tried to pull her hands away.

“Let’s get you up and get some food in you, you can tell me all about your project while we eat, then you’ll have more energy to carry on, maybe sleep too. Sleep will be good for you Missy.”

She relented and let him help her up, both stepping over the stacks of envelopes and tubs of glitter. He sat down, watching her as she did the same and noting that she seemed stiff and uncomfortable and had likely been sitting on the floor or an unhealthy amount of time. He made a mental note to bring a large cushion...or two...in case she started to fall asleep on the floor. Her tendency for perfection was so often at the expense of her wellbeing. 

He was relieved when she started eating and let a comfortable silence fall until she had eaten a large enough quantity that he was satisfied. He really did wonder if the Master had needed extensive recovery time after working solidly on plans over all her lives. He wished he had been there to help them when they forgot to care for themselves….if only the plans hadn’t been quite so evil. 

“Who are you writing to?” he asked, casually.

“I don’t know because you won’t give me my device,” she said, tired. 

“Missy I hate saying no to anything, I don’t won’t you to feel restricted or dependent, but it’s a lethal device and one that could be catastrophic combined with quantum fold technology.”

“Doctor,” she said with a deep sigh. “I only want my contacts list and the bio data so I can address my letters. I am not going to fry the egg for breakfast.”

“You want...to use it as an address book?”

“Yes, trace bio data of everyone I’ve ever killed using it, tap into the relevant time coded earth systems, always amateurish technology, and locate their last known address before I murdered them all. But YOU won’t let me do a simple mail merge!”

“Missy….why would you want to write them all letters?”

“To say sorry! Honestly you are so dim sometimes! Good people know how to say sorry and sorry is a difficult thing to say if you say it honestly, believe me, I’ve poured a lot of tears into these letters. I can’t apologise once they’re dead, so I need to send them these letters just before I kill them in my past.”

The Doctor stared at the stack of letters and blinked, stunned.

“Sending someone a letter apologising for the fact that you will shortly be murdering them might be taken as rather threatening Missy.”

“Really?” she asked, stunned. “But I thought it was quite heartwarming and a little bit helpful?”

“I don't think anyone who is alive would take comfort in receiving a letter from their future murderer, saying how sorry they are for murdering them soon. I think that person might live in fear for their life.”

“Well yes, that’s understandable, but at least they get a heads up - perhaps I could give them a week or so warning and they could work on their bucket lists?”

“People in general, may struggle with the knowledge that they will shortly be murdered,” he said, a headache forming fast.

“But...I’ve written 732 and the penmanship is beautiful!” she said, affronted. 

“732 people fearing for their lives isn’t a good thing Missy,” he said, then paused as he noticed how dismayed she looked. “But you had good intentions and that is wonderful progress!”

“But I spent so long on these!”

“I know Missy, and we could keep them - perhaps you could write more - not every day, and not more than one at a time, and add to them. It’s really excellent progress that you want to apologise and to put so much thought into it,” he said with a smile, reaching over to place his hand on top of hers. 

She smiled brightly, her exhausted pallor decreasing as her eyes sparkled. 

“Let’s get you to bed after this, you’re exhausted,” he said kindly. “I can help you tidy everything tomorrow.”

“Stay?” she asked, hopefully. 

“Of course,” he said. “Just until you're asleep though tonight, I have a conference tomorrow, annoyingly. Would rather be here."

Missy stood, unclasping her belt as she walked toward the bathroom with a smile.  "Ditching me for humans again honey, you'll have to make it up to me again."

"I'm sure you'll think of a way," he said, smiling. 

The Doctor tidied the food away, screwed the lids back into the pots of ink she had painstakingly written her letters with, and slipped off his coat and shoes before climbing into her bed. 

She returned a while later with a peaceful smile and wearing a long purple nightdress. She felt a flash of warmth as he pulled back the covers, climbing straight into bed with him and shuffling back against him until her body moulded into his. 

She sighed contentedly as he pulled her into his arms and placed a kiss on her head.

"Sleep Missy, you've earned a good rest," he said as he closed his eyes, far too content to actually do what he intended and leave after he had settled her. 

* * *

Morning came, light spearing through the artificial windows. His arms tightened around her, instinctively wanting to pull her as close as possible to him. 

"Mmmm, Morning honey," she murmured sleepily. "You stayed, I love it when you ditch humans for me."

He chuckled and raised his hand, smoothing her hair back and placing a kiss on her cheek. 

He froze at the sound of Nardole's voice.

"Missy? I have breakfast. There's no bacon today, don't bite the messenger.....or kill the messenger."

"You could hide under the bed?" She suggested, amused. 

"No, I'll just stay here, if I stay very still, maybe he wont see me."

Nardole saw him. Nardole was not impressed. 

Missy pulled her pillow over her head and groaned, muttering that it was far too early for all this and if he didn't stop his very loud barrage of objections to a perfectly non evil snuggle, then she would likely be making an omelette out of him. 

"Nice. Do you see what I put up with Doctor? I cooked this myself as per your instructions, it's hardly cafeteria quality!"

"My dear eggman,"Missy said, sitting up and pulling something out from under her pillow. "Don't be such a sour puss. I spent a long time making you a lovely card. Here!"

The Doctor opened his mouth to object, stop her, or warn Nardole that she was handing him a death threat, but he was simply too tired and admittedly too annoyed at the interruption to his peaceful morning, to actually step in. 

"Oh," Nardole said, thrown as he looked at the intricately decorated envelope. "Well, that's...thoughtful."

Missy smiled her most innocent smile as Nardole headed back out of the vault. She sat and waited, the innocence falling away to a rather more evil smile as suddenly Nardole let out a scream from somewhere near the vault doors.

"Missy, if you send it to someone you haven't killed that really is more of an _actual_ death threat," he said, trying to hide his amusement 

"It was emotionally draining honey, I had to have a little fun too," she said, laughing as she laid back down, turning to face him as she cuddled up with him.

"Only one death threat in there?" he asked.

"Yep! Proud of me?" she asked with a grin.

"Actually yes, I am," he said, kissing her head.

She settled into his arms, slipping her leg between his as she sighed happily - mornings like this were where she felt true happiness. 

  
  



End file.
